When Joshua emerged from the bathroom, Hannah was all cried out. She checked her phone and rolled her eyes.

“I’m getting, ‘you’re late’ messages.” Hannah sneered. “Screw ‘em…”

“Hannah,” Ally warned gently, “they didn’t hurt you.”

“They hurt you.” Hannah argued. “That’s more than enough reason.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Hannah eyed her. “Oh yeah?”

“I’ll take care of her,” Joshua promised, towel drying his hair, “she can stay with me for a bit.”

“You are a saint,” Hannah stood, picking up her handbag, “an absolute saint.” She looked at Ally. “Ally…look after yourself…please.”

Ally nodded and mustered a small wave as Hannah reluctantly left. Her hand dropped when the door closed and her shoulders sagged.

“Why don’t we go to your apartment and you can change?” Joshua picked up his phone, wallet and watch. “Make sure you’ve got sensible walking shoes on.”

“Don’t you have a job?” Ally asked a little tersely.

“I’ve got today off,” Joshua held out his elbow, “I promise it’ll help.”

Over an hour later they were on a train that had a direct path out of the city. Ally sat by the window, eyes staring without really seeing. Joshua sat next to her with a book in his hand. He didn’t intrude into her world or try to keep up mindless chatter. He let her be.

The train travelled along the coastline, a rocky red and dark green slope to their left and to the right, a soft decline to the beach and a wide stretch of ocean. Many of the travellers on the train got out at various stations to take advantage of the safe inlets for family swimming or, for the more adventurous ones, the long beaches where large waves were plentiful.

Then the train went up a rise, snaking inland, following a curve of coast before halting.

“This is us.” Joshua said getting up and leading Ally off the train.

The platform wasn’t much to speak of, a pair of toilets, a sheltered seating area and an arched tunnel that followed stairs going down. Small windows let in gasps of light, the walls covered in mosaic tiles in patterns that mimicked the ocean, the beach and the sunshine.

Ally trailed behind Joshua without remark until they came to the bottom of the tunnel to a tiny town, no more than a dozen cabins, a club for meals and an eclectic bookstore. The wood was all weathered from the salt and the wind and all paintwork had a distressed look to it though it just added to the atmosphere.

From the town there was a stretch of soft, pale cream sand and then waves in darkening hues of aqua to deep sea teal capped with white foam lapped lazily beneath a slightly grey sky. In the water, scattered as natural plinths, were sandstone rock formations covered in clinging foliage that grew from pockets of earth.

“The sun’s being kind to us today,” Joshua nodded as he led Ally to the promenade, “I prefer overcast days when I’m at the beach. The sun glares off the sand something fierce.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Ally admitted. “What are you doing?”

“Taking my shoes off.”

“Why?”

Joshua tucked his socks into his cons and tied them to his belt so he didn’t have to carry them. “Nothing beats the feeling of sand between your toes. Give it a try.”

“What about needles? Jelly fish?”

“The beach is graded every morning and the junkies rarely make it up this far,” Joshua smiled, “and if you see a jelly fish on the beach, pick it up and throw it back in the water.”

Ally sighed and did as she was told, the boards of the promenade feeling rough beneath her feet. She walked down the short set of steps to the beach and stepped onto the sand. It was soft and dry, the storm never coming near the coast. She sank into it as she tried to keep up with Joshua’s long stride and had to jog, kicking her feet up, moving as gracefully as a new born foal.

As they approached the water the sand firmed up and she didn’t have to struggle to gain traction. Where the waved lapped on the sand, Joshua turned and started to walk slowly through the incoming tide.

“I love the sound of the ocean.” He confided.

“Sounds like leaves rustling to me.” Ally fell into step with him.

“Leaves rustle and flutter,” Joshua stopped her, “listen…”

“This is…” She stopped talking as he put his finger to her lips with one hand then covered her eyes with the other.

“Just…listen…to the voice of the ocean.”

Ally shrugged and waited. She could hear the same rustle in the water as she did with the leaves on trees. It sounded the same.

“The rustle of leaves doesn’t have a rhythm…they move with the wind, an unpredictable force…but the waves pulse as they go back and forth…back and forth…”

Ally opened her mouth to protest then stopped. She could hear the motion of the water, the way it moved towards her then back again, as if the earth was swaying.

“It’s dancing…” She whispered.

“Dancing…I like it.” Joshua chuckled and drew his hands away. “The waves are dancing.”

They walked for half an hour along the beach, the lonely sound of a seagull looking for an abandoned chip crying overhead and the waves echoing off a cave where pools of water were sanctuaries to crabs and tiny fish. Joshua didn’t say much, pointing to the colours of the fish in the water and holding out a seashell for Ally to hold up to her ear.

She was a bit bemused by the visit to the beach. She thought Joshua would take her to a psychiatric clinic or get her in to see a doctor for antidepressants. They didn’t go any further up the beach than the cave, turning back to the tiny town where Joshua paid for a fisherman’s basket for lunch.

“Best seafood around.” He winked at Ally.

“What are you doing here, Knightly?” The waitress asked. “There’s no charity swim today is there?”

“Not today. Just wanted to visit the prettiest spot on the coast with a friend.”

The waitress eyed Ally a little enviously. “Knightly’s got to be the best catch around…you’d better take care of him.”

“He caught me,” Ally said instinctively then jolted, “wait…we’re not…” The waitress walked away with a fast heel. Ally rolled her eyes and picked at the food. There was quite a spread of squid rings, prawns, perfectly grilled fish, homemade dips, lemon wedges and chips. “You shouldn’t have bothered with all this.”

“You can’t come to the beach and not eat seafood.” Joshua poured her a glass of iced tea.

“I told you, I can’t taste anything.” Ally shook her head. “It’s like…ash…”

“And when was the last time you ate anything that was deliberately, painstakingly, lovingly prepared?” Joshua held up his hand. “And my soggy fettucine last night doesn’t count.”

Ally frowned and thought about it. “I…I’m not sure.” She opened her mouth then closed it.

“What were you thinking?”

“Just…about the coffee Eric makes at Commando.” Ally admitted, looking out of the window at the bay view.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Good?”

“Never tasted its equal.” Ally smiled sadly. “Never will again.”

“He doesn’t work there anymore?”

“I don’t.” Ally saw Joshua’s surprised expression. “I thought Hannah might have filled you in.”

“She arrived just before you came out of the shower.” He insisted. “I don’t even know what Commando is.”

“Oh…” Ally swallowed. “Commando is a company that develops RPG games.” At Joshua’s puzzled look she paused. “Role playing games.”

“Artificial reality?”

“Some, yes,” she nodded, “I was employed as a writer for the focus group.”

“What did they do?”

“They were the ‘voice’ of the current social trends and would give ideas and ask questions…and writers would listen to their brainstorming and create stories or characters to capture some of their musings. Not long after I joined I heard a lament from the group about a lack of strong female leads and realistic sub characters…that they wanted someone complicated and decisive yet also struggling with a self of identity as she found her way. There were other ideas floating around at the time about machine hunting and riding, about a post apocalyptic world whose origins were uncovered over time…so I went away and started to write about Aloy, a clone of a woman who spearheaded the initiative to preserve the earth and life beyond the extinction caused by a rogue plague of robots.” She spoke quietly and without emotion. “To help make the characters real, I based them on people I knew. It was submitted to the brainstorm forum and I thought that was that…but David Kingsbury, the CEO of Commando, called me up to his office and commissioned me to write the storyline for Aloy across what he hoped would become a three game story arc. It was called Horizon and started with Zero Dawn, then Forbidden West and Nemesis is due to come out later this year.”

Joshua studied her calmly. “You finished it?”

Aloy clutched her glass. “I submitted the conclusion yesterday.”

“Why do I feel that it has something to do with what happened last night?” Joshua pulled a piece of fish apart and ate some. “Does Aloy survive?”

Ally licked her lips. “It’s just a story…”

“I see.”

They finished their lunch then Joshua said there was some time before the train arrived to take travellers back into the city. They sat on the beach, heels buried deep, watching the waves creep up the sand, the wet line inching closer and closer.

“What did the waitress mean about charity swimming?”

“It’s a fundraising event to raise money so that my boss can run programs, getting kids into clubs and sports, trying to help them with anger issues so they can concentrate at school and get a good education.”

“That’s noble.” Ally praised. “So what do you do?”

“It’s a race from the beach, out around the plinths in a certain order then back again.”

Ally eyed the natural statues in the water. “That’s…a long way. Were you always athletic?”

“I was never a team sport person. I preferred boxing and more violent sports.” Joshua twisted around on the beach, lying on his belly, scooping wet sand into his hand, “it wasn’t until after I nearly died that I slowed down enough to focus on something other than my fiancé or broken heart. Rodriguez got me into martial arts, tae kwon do and tai chi and helped me become a fitness instructor.”

Ally leaned to watch what he was doing. He was letting the wet sand trickle out of his grip, dribbling on the ground, creating tiny formations of layers of sand, curling up until the weight was too much and they toppled over.

“What are you doing?”

“You haven’t done this before?”

“I’ve never been to the beach before. Too unhygienic.”

“Really?” He shook his head. “I spent most of my holidays at the beach in my youth. These are wet sand sculptures.” Ally’s face must have shown she was confused. “I find it relaxing.” He admitted. “Watching miniature pieces of art form organically with no direction from me.”

“But they break or the tide will wash them away.” Ally crossed her legs. “Then they’ll be gone.”

“It isn’t the longevity that gives me pleasure,” Joshua murmured, “it’s the feel of the wet sand, watching it form…holding my breath to see how high it’ll…” His current statue collapsed and Joshua chuckled. “Oh well.”

Ally gazed at him as he concentrated on the simple task. She looked at the sand beside her and scooped some up and tried to do the same. Instead of dribbles of sand, it was just a rush into a pile.

“It’s got to be very wet,” Joshua instructed, “scoop a handful the next time the wave comes close and let the water carry the sand out of your fist.”

Ally did as she was told, taking several goes before she made a little decorative mound of wet sand.

“There you go…that’s good.” Ally shook her head but felt a tiny smile pull on the corner of her mouth. Joshua stood up and held his hand out. “The train will be here soon.” She followed him back to the station and travelled into the city. When they reached the apartment building, Joshua explained he had a tai chi class to teach. “Why not run on the machine while I teach?”

“I’m not sure I have the energy.” Ally was surprised at how physically weary she was. Running on the machine had never made her tired like the walk along the beach did.

“You could come to class.”

“I’ll just stay in the apartment.”

“Hrm…” Joshua folded his arms. “I’ll get someone else in to teach the class.”

Ally blinked. “You’re reorganising your life to keep an eye on me?”

“The first twenty four hours are critical.” Joshua nodded.

In the end, Joshua didn’t get someone else in to teach the class. Ally conceded to sitting on the sidelines, watching him move through the motions as a class of twenty students copied him. She stared at the dark grey foam mat beneath their feet for a while then heard Joshua speak softly and looked up to see him changing form, fluidic and graceful yet strong and sure.

“Just like the waves.” Ally said softly.

It was quite cathartic to watch and by the end of the class, she felt overwhelmingly tired. When Joshua tucked her into bed she rested her head on the pillow and felt waves of unconsciousness wash over her until she sank beneath the surface and slept.

When she woke up, it was from such a deep sleep that Ally couldn’t work out where she was. The dried blood red of the bedlinen against the richness of the dark wood wasn’t anything like her grey and white sterile existence.

“Where am I?” She sat up, looking around. “It’s my room but…not…”

She heard humming in the kitchen. A little nervous she grasped her dressing gown which was hanging up by her side of the bed and draped it over herself, flicking her red hair out as she walked around the corner to see Joshua Knightly nodding his head to soft music. He caught sight of her and tapped the volume down.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” He chuckled. “I’m not used to company.”

“It’s fine,” Ally went to sit on a lounge chair but Joshua produced a bar stool, “thank you.” She sat with her knees beneath the counter, her toes lightly touching the spines of the books. “I couldn’t work out where I was for a moment.”

“You did seem to be in a pretty deep sleep.” Joshua opened the fridge and held out a carton. “You like eggs?”

“I guess.”

“Poached?”

“Sure.” She watched him work, feeling a little dazed. The veil of sleep had never been this hard to lift…at least not for some time.

“I find the seaside air always invigorates me when I’m there and when I come home, I’m out like a light.” He cut an avocado in half and mashed it lightly. “Oops, the eggs…” As the water boiled he cracked an egg into its swirling surface, the egg poaching perfectly. “And number two…” Ally was fascinated by the way he cooked in the same way she watched him do tai chi. He gave a small laugh and she looked up. “I’ve never had anyone watch me cook before. It’s a little unnerving.”

“Sorry.”

“I hope my food is up to scratch.”

“I don’t usually eat breakfast so I don’t have anything to compare it to.”

“How do you get going in the morning?”

“Coffee.”

Joshua pulled a face. “Sorry, I don’t drink coffee.”

Ally’s eyes widened, the first fully fledged emotion she’d felt in quite a while stretching the muscles of her face. “You don’t drink coffee?”

“I used to but it gave me the jitters so I switched to tea.” He toasted oval rounds of bread and layered the mashed avocado with the poached egg and a drizzle of dressing and some green shoots on top. He held out a knife and fork to Ally cut into it tentatively, watching the yellow yolk ooze from its burst bubble. She put a forkful in her mouth and chewed it, feeling the crunch of the flavoured toasted bread, the creaminess of the avocado and the distinctive flavour of the egg, cut through with the tart dressing.

She swallowed and gazed at the remainders on her plate then twisted and looked around at the apartment.

“Something wrong?”

“No,” Ally mused softly, “I was just thinking…you have so much flavour in your life.” Joshua’s eyebrow was raised when she turned back to him. “All your books, your furniture…your colourful plates…”

“You mean it’s a bachelor pad where nothing matches.” He smiled.

“It matches you,” Ally corrected, “my apartment is white and grey…yours feels like there’s so much person in it.”

Joshua leaned on the counter and glanced around. “I think there’s less of me than you realise.”

“I don’t think so.”

“All the colour, the furniture…all the stories…I think I like it because I don’t feel I’m a particularly colourful person.” Ally snorted. “It’s true,” he nodded, “I mean, I’m not boring…but I’m not colourful.”

“You’ve got more colour than me,” Ally ate some more breakfast, “I think I’m white on white wallpaper…as tasteless as a glass of water.” She said it without expecting an argument. If her emotions were numb then her outwards expression of herself was bland as well.

“You didn’t start out that way.”

“Oh no?”

“No,” Joshua folded his arms and shook his head, his longish hair loose, “I remember you when I first started working at the gym here. You’d come in with Hannah but she stopped coming after a while.”

“She came when she lived here before she moved in with her partner…erm, fiancé now.”

“Before she moved out, you would come in together and you’d jog on the machine and Hannah would walk beside you…and you’d talk so brightly…it was impossible not to listen.” Joshua picked up his cup of tea and smiled. “You talked with your hands, expressing ideas…I remember thinking, she’s colourful.”

“My hair is red.”

“Not your outward appearance. Your soul. You had so much colour.” Joshua tilted his head. “Even when Hannah moved out, you’d still come in and run on the machine and talk to yourself.”

“Good grief,” Ally put her fingers to her face, “I talked to myself to flesh out characters and scenes, to develop conversations…I didn’t realise you could hear me.”

“That’s why I never said anything. I didn’t want to make you feel self conscious.” Joshua insisted. “And then, as the months went by…you stopped talking to yourself…and I watched as the colour in your life…faded.” Ally’s throat tightened as he spoke. “It was like it was leeching out, leaving you a shadow of yourself.” She looked down at her breakfast, feeling an uncomfortable sensation try to rise in her chest. “I wish I’d known what to do or how to help…even though we barely knew each other…I should have…”

“I’m fine,” Ally said roughly then lifted her head, squelching the unpleasant rising in her heart, “that’s what I would have said…and I am.”

Joshua sighed. “You don’t really think I’m going to believe that?”

“It’s been twenty four hours…”

“It’s forty eight.”

Ally felt her lips try to smile again. “Let me guess, tomorrow it’ll be seventy two?” Joshua shrugged noncommittedly. “Don’t you have a job to go to?”

“I’ve got a few days off,” Joshua put his plate and cup in the sink, “I want to show you some of my favourite places.”

“I thought the beach was your favourite.”

“I have more than one.”